Caffeine is, without a doubt, one of the most pervasive drugs in our society. Naturally present in some of our favorite foods and drinks, caffeine also is added to many products to act as a stimulant and to create a level of dependency. Students are excellent targets for companies that promote the caffeine craze - with long hours studying, late party nights and little sleep in between, caffeine is the perfect boost for students on the go.
But it is possible to have too much at one time. Although the high of feeling awake may work well for a few hours, it is accompanied often with undesirable side effects. In fact, too much caffeine can result in a condition called caffeine intoxication. The Diagnostic and Statistical Manual of Mental Disorders defines caffeine intoxication as consumption of more than 250 milligrams and demonstration of at least five of these symptoms: restlessness, nervousness, excitement, insomnia, flushed face, frequent urination, gastrointestinal disturbance, muscle twitching, rambling flow of thought and speech or fast heart rate.
Certainly a 16-ounce cup of coffee - a grande at Starbucks - does not affect everyone the same way. Some people will have these symptoms after one cup while others can drink 20 cups and feel relatively normal. This occurs because our bodies become tolerant to the effects of caffeine the more we consume it. This, too, has undesirable consequences. Ever had a nasty headache after a long week of studying? That is likely a caffeine withdrawal headache - a result of over-indulging. In other words, you are experiencing withdrawal without the drug.
Despite the ever-increasing popularity of energy drinks since the late 1990s - when Red Bull was first introduced - there have been few studies that gauge the consumption of these drinks by college students. One 2007 study in the Nutrition Journal found that more than half of the surveyed students reported having at least one energy drink per month. Of this sample, 29 percent reported having a "jolt and crash" episode resulting from energy drink consumption, and 19 percent reported experiencing heart palpitations. A recent 2010 study in the Journal of Adolescent Health found that more than 60 percent of the 1,300-student sample used a caffeine-based stimulant each week, with an average of eight uses throughout the week.
Meanwhile, you may be surprised to learn that the caffeine content of energy drinks varies widely. An 8-ounce cup of coffee averages about 133 milligrams but may have as much as 200. An 8-ounce cup of tea can have 40-120 milligrams. A caffeinated soft drink such as Mountain Dew or Coca-Cola has about 50 milligrams. Red Bull, RockStar, Amp and SoBe all contain about 80 milligrams of caffeine, while the larger 16-ounce Full Throttle and Monster Energy contain 144 and 160, respectively. For comparison, pure caffeine pills, such as NoDoz, contain 200 milligrams per tablet.
Part of living healthily means awareness about how foods and drinks may affect your body. Certainly, the allure of a great cup of coffee cannot be ignored - and the extra alertness is a welcome benefit. It is important to remember, however, that caffeine is a stimulant drug and can have adverse effects. Apart from the uncomfortable symptoms described above, chronic caffeine consumption can alter our sleep patterns, which can lead to difficulty with both falling asleep and having restful sleep cycles. This can result in poor academic performances, probably defeating the purpose of using such drinks in the first place.
The universal rule for nearly every aspect of a healthy, nutritious lifestyle is moderation. The consumption of caffeine should be no different.
Ryan is a University Medical student. He can be reached at r.reynolds@cavalierdaily.com.
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